Kristopher Stein, 25 |
Lifeguard, gym instructor, senior at the University of Louisville |
Fitness philosophy: I need to be dynamic. If you stick to a certain workout all the time, you’ll never excel.
Workout evolution: I started with weight lifting which helped me gain weight room awareness. I then started running track which gave me a means to keep up with cardio. Then I started tumbling, giving me air awareness. I’ve recently started yoga to give me a stable mind and a flexible body. Soon I’ll be starting calisthenics and rock-climbing. From there, I’ll do whatever it takes to test the limits of my body. |
Diet: I try to avoid eating out which allows me to control what I cook and put in my body. I don’t drink soda and I’m starting to cut gluten and unnecessary sugars such as candy, out of my diet. |
Biggest fitness accomplishments: Benching 225 and squatting 475 at 155 pounds in high school. In track, breaking my own personal records in the 200 meter at 23 seconds and the 400 meter at 51 seconds. As I’ve dabbled in different sports, I found myself defying gravity with martial arts tricking. I’ve landed a double full and double cork, which are moves which require training heavily or you’ll risk injury. |
Fitness goals: My goal is to become the best martial arts tricker Louisville has ever seen and be one the best on the East Coast. To be well known in this sport and help others train to become the best trickers they can be.
Advice: Stop listening to other people’s stories, and get up and get to it. Find gyms or communities in your area for the exercise method you want to start. Be dynamic. Don’t settle for one type of movement and push your limits.

Monica Resch, 31, 40 weeks pregnant |
Marketing executive |
Workout: Pre-pregnancy, it was working out twice a week including a combination of yoga, running and strength training. While pregnant, it’s been yoga at Milestone two times a week, the entire pregnancy. If I was tired or didn’t feel like it, I still did it. |
Diet: Instead of focusing on rules, I decided to simply see myself as a “healthy person.” When faced with food choices, I make choices that are in line with my identity. This makes it easy to practice healthy habits without feeling like I’m making a sacrifice. |
Fitness goals: I will be using what I’ve learned through my yoga practice, to birth my baby naturally through a method called, “Hypnobirthing.” The principles of yoga and Hypnobirthing are so similar, it was an easy decision to implement this method of childbirth. (Update: Monica delivered her son, Dillon, the morning after our shoot without medication.) |
Advice: My advice is for other pregnant women, because I know how hard it is at the beginning when you are so tired and nauseous and all you want to do is sleep. But, with your doctor’s consent, I beg you to exercise. Do something. Do yoga, light walking or swimming, just stay active. You’ll feel so much better and there are so many benefits for the health of you and your baby, now and after the birth!

Donna Brothers, 51 |
NBC racing reporter, former jockey |
Fitness philosophy: “Mix it up.” There is no one exercise that is the “golden ticket” and mixing up your routine not only makes for a better body, it also keeps your routine from getting boring. |
Workout: When I was a jockey, my goal was to build muscle and improve my cardiac capacity. My goals now are to maintain tone and lay the ground work for health and vitality. I now do a lot of Bikram Yoga, strength training just one day a week and some cardio but, I must say, Bikram yoga in a 105 degree room for seventy-five to ninety minutes is just about all of the cardio I really need. Plus, rather than adding wear and tear to the joints, it provides strength and repair. |
Diet: I realized about seven to eight years ago that I am gluten intolerant. For me, giving up gluten was a big turning point. I’m also mostly vegetarian although I will eat some wild caught fish. |
Biggest fitness accomplishment: Being a paid, professional jockey and retiring as the second leading female jockey by money earned. Aside from that, I do not compete in fitness because I’m too competitive. Now I just train for this endurance event we call life. |
Advice: Do a little bit more every day. So, if you can only walk half a mile, great! Just be sure to walk that half mile. And then maybe tomorrow you can walk six tenths of a mile. And buy new workout clothes a couple of times a year. If you’re working out regularly, you deserve them and they will make you feel more like getting dressed for your workout!

Luke Hancock, 29 |
Former U of L and professional basketball player, Financial Advisor with Clearpath Financial of Raymond James. | Philosophy: It’s all about consistency. I don’t work out the way I used to when I was playing. Now my workouts are usually five to six days a week and only last an hour or so. I try to make sure they’re high-intensity but a workout I enjoy. |
Fitness role models: Ted Mitzlaff and Aaron Flaker are two mentors or role models of mine. They both are extremely hard working and successful professionals but they find time to stay in shape. Ted owns a brewery and still finds enough time to hit the gym. |
Turning points: My Achilles tear and retirement from basketball really changed my life—not just my fitness routine. Not training at that level makes you much more aware of the little things like diet and missing training sessions. |
Workout: I did so much running in college and basketball. After that, I hate the thought of getting on the baseline and running sprints. I don’t even like to walk fast if I’m not actually playing basketball. I lift weights almost daily and play a few times a week on the court. |
Fitness goals: Usually it’s days in the gym or limiting the number of days I miss the gym. I’ve found that if I don’t get it done early, it probably isn’t getting done. |
How challenging is it to maintain a high level of fitness when it’s not part of your day job: It’s very challenging. I was never a morning workout guy until I got to Louisville. Consistency is key. My good friend Patrick Lindsay is a machine with his fitness routine and rarely gets off track. We hit the gym early in the morning with a weight lifting routine. |
Advice: You have to start somewhere. Tomorrow will keep getting pushed back. Consistency is key and you don’t have to work out three hours a day to be in shape.

Sõl Perry, 44 | Owner of Sõl Perry Fitness, musician | Fitness philosophy: I know what it’s like to be uncomfortable in your own skin. I have been obese, sick, and depressed with no direction. And now, I’m fit, healthy, optimistic and focused. |
Turning point: My only sibling, my baby brother, Jason, was born severely mentally and physically disabled on my fifth birthday. It made me realize from a young age, I was lucky to be born with a chance to be healthy.
Fitness evolution: In my teens. I would follow the advice I read and it just made me “skinny fat.” Time passed. I started playing guitar professionally. While playing music at night, recording and writing music by day, I always jogged, lifted weights, ate well. I thought I was doing everything right. |
I began to get fatter and fatter. When I hit 265 pounds, I began to be in denial about it. I hated the way I looked on stage. I was in a mode of self-loathing and depression. I eventually ballooned up to 300 pounds.
Something else happened: My mom was diagnosed with cancer. It woke me up. Here I was in the prime of my life with the gift of a chance to be healthy and I was blowing it. It was time for a change. |
It took me two years to lose 135 pounds and gain 25 pounds of lean mass. I started training others and opened up Sõl Perry Fitness in 2012. |
Fitness philosophy: Progress over perfection. |
Workout: At age 44, I train smarter. “Stimulate, not annihilate.” I journal all my workouts and have a short term, and long-term plan. My workouts consist of strength training, mobility, metabolic training, yoga, soft tissue work. |
Diet: I tried every diet under the sun. Many of them can work, but often, they stop working and you plateau. I eventually created my own method of eating that I use now with myself and others. I have never weighed my foods or counted calories. I keep it natural and close to the farm as possible. |
Fitness accomplishments: I was honored to win “Trainer of The Year” for the city of Louisville, but the thing I am happiest about is that ten years into her battle with cancer, my mother is still alive and fighting. We sponsor the American Lung Association “Walk For Air” event every year and we have helped raise over $800,000 for lung cancer research. |
Advice: By far the hardest part is to start. Do not wait for the “perfect time.” There will never be one.

Katie Gaunt, 42 Nurse, Instructor at B. You | Health turning point: Healthful living became a priority for me after receiving results from an annual physical. My cholesterol was borderline high. I was surprised. I led an active life. I ate healthy. I figured that would be enough. |
Fitness philosophy: Find an activity level that meets the needs of that day.  It might be a heart-pumping sweat or a quiet, focused stretch and meditation.  Our bodies need different challenges every day. |
Workout: Fitness has changed for me over the years.  In the early years, it was to burn off energy.  As I started a family, I found enjoyment in running.  I realized it was an activity I could slip in anytime of the day and be outside. I could do it by myself and have “me time.”  As my children grew, I found a need to incorporate a social component to my routine.  I joined a small fitness boutique in my neighborhood and still continue to stay physically challenged each day. Now that my children are a little older, I have incorporated them into my routine. We enjoy heading out for trail runs, biking and all kinds of outdoor activities. |
Fitness goals: To continue to stay active. I know for my own personal well-being, that staying healthy and active helps me physically and mentally.  I want to set an example for my children and hope they find an appreciation for an active lifestyle as well.   |
Advice: Find an interest and evaluate what you need at this moment in your life.  Try something different. Louisville has so much to offer.

Terri Kendall, 50 | Aerialist, mother, co-owner of XALT |
Fitness evolution: I took two circus classes almost eight years ago and found I was really naturally good at it. When I climbed the rope about 20 feet, I remember thinking I was happier than I had ever been. I bought a rope, had my tree rigged (which is not a good idea), and began taking lessons. Several months later, I started an aerial burlesque company with a partner and have performed regularly for the past seven years. |
Fitness challenges: I tore my labrum (a piece of fibrocartilage attached to the rim of the shoulder socket that helps keep the ball of the joint in place). It was an overuse injury. At my age, a labral repair would not last, so they did a bicep tenodesis, and I wasn’t able to lift more than two pounds for two months. Dr. Ryan Krupp with Norton Orthopedic Specialists and his physician’s assistant, Jason Hupp, were very good about staying positive when I started crying in their office. I was lucky to have a surgeon who not only specialized in shoulders but who had a reputation as being one of the best in his area of expertise. |
Workout: I train at my circus gym now about two to three times a week and teach classes two times a week. Usually, it’s for at least two hours doing aerials, core and stretching. I walk or ride my bike for cardio when the weather allows, or I go to another gym to walk the track sometimes. |
Diet: I eat to live now, rather than live to eat. I eat nutritionally sound with healthy fats and proteins, lots of vegetables, fruits, and complex carbohydrates, and I have enough cheat foods to keep it fun. I love dark chocolate and red wine. |
Fitness accomplishment: I have played semi-pro football, men’s lacrosse, predominately men’s ice hockey, roller hockey, soccer, sprint triathlons, running races, mountain biking, etc. I was an avid weight lifter for 13 years before aerials. I competed in a figure competition at age 44 and a fitness competition at 40. But I honestly think my biggest accomplishment athletically is aerial arts. I am the oldest aerialist in the area, and I perform constantly. I just feel lucky every day. |
Fitness goal: I want to continue to teach and perform aerials as long as possible. After that, I want to work on yoga teacher certification and continue helping others be healthy and fit. |
Advice: Find some way to move your body, any way! There are a hundred ways to move your body.

Scott Wunderlich, 55 | Pilot, Ironman, heart attack survivor |
Fitness philosophy: Do something every day. As an airline pilot with a constantly changing schedule, I have a hard time sticking to a set plan, but I always try to get a workout in. Sometimes it may be nothing more than running the hotel stairs on a layover. |
Diet: I avoid bread and other simple carbs. I always have an emergency supply of protein powder and healthy snacks in my suitcase. |
Turning point: It has always been important, but after I had a heart attack (caused by a birth defect) in 2009, I’ve pushed myself a little harder. |
Fitness goals: I want to stay fit enough that physical ability isn’t an impediment to me doing the things I want to as I age. I didn’t run my first marathon or Ironman until I was 50. By 55, I had run more than twenty marathons and ultra-marathons, seven Ironman and three half-Ironman triathlons. I have a lot of great adventures planned for retirement! |
Fitness accomplishments: I failed at my first hundred mile run attempt in May 2016. Instead of deciding to give up, I pushed myself a little harder… and a little smarter. Over the next nine months, I completed three 100-milers. I’m signed up for two 100-milers for 2018 and hoping to run a 500K (314 miles) in July. |
I think the most positive aspect of my lifestyle has been the effect it has had on my family. They have all participated in my races… either running themselves, crewing, or pacing. In 2014, we had five Wunderlichs run the Pikes Peak Marathon and Pikes Peak Ascent. |
Advice: Baby steps. My first treadmill run of a mile was beyond boring, but before long, it became an easy routine. Add a little each week; either in time, distance, or intensity. Before long you’ll be doing 10k a day and not dreading it. A good music mix to listen to helps.